Warriors prepared for next chapter without Klay as new season begins

Warriors prepared for next chapter without Klay as new season begins originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The excitement of a new NBA season permeated throughout Chase Center on Monday as the Warriors welcomed the commotion of Media Day – and with it, the team’s first campaign without Klay Thompson.

But that doesn’t mean the Splash Bro’s presence wasn’t felt despite his offseason departure to the Dallas Mavericks, from reporters asking countless questions about him to some surprising forms of communication between Thompson and his former Golden State teammates being revealed.

“Klay, that’s my dog. We’re still playing a chess game. We were playing this morning,” Moses Moody said with a smile. “[He’s] getting off on me right now. He had a couple game win streak, but I’m going to fight back. That’s my dog, good dude.

“That goes to show, just because he’s not from our team no more doesn’t mean the relationship changes. It’s not a loss in that sense. He’s still my friend, still get to hang out with him and talk to him.”

Moody is just one of many Warriors adjusting to a new reality without Thompson in the Bay, and it’s something the team will face on and off the court this season as a void in both leadership and scoring accompanies his absence.

That new normal, though difficult, is one Golden State feels more than prepared for.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Kevon Looney said. “A guy like that, he’s been here for long — he was here for a long time. He helped build a special team and dynasty and his spirit is always going to be missed. But you know, he’s been a great mentor [to] a lot of young guys. And he kind of showed us the Warrior way and how to play and how to carry yourself. …

“Something you can’t replace, but I think we have the people and the character in the locker room to keep it moving forward.”

There’s no denying Steph Curry and Draymond Green have the leadership corner covered, even without the third member of their dynastic trio. But that hasn’t stopped youngsters like Podziemski, a 2023-24 first team All-Rookie selection, from stepping up in that department in his second season.

“[My teammates] expect me to be a leader,” Podziemski said. “I think I naturally have those qualities of being a leader. So being more of a vocal leader, but also showing guys in a positive light leadership things, especially our new guys.

“I think just on the court being a connector, as [coach] Steve [Kerr] likes to call it, and doing all the right things to help our team win.”

The onus now is on the Warriors to fill Thompson’s scoring void. Despite a somewhat down year during the 2023-24 campaign, Thompson was Golden State’s No. 2 scorer behind Curry, averaging 17.9 points and 3.5 3-pointers per game.

The hope is that offseason addition Buddy Hield can help pick up some of that slack – a task the ninth-year pro is taking one step at a time with training camp set to begin in Hawaii on Tuesday.

“You’ve just got to take time, trying to figure out the passing, the cutting, the screening. Learning from Steph, learning from Draymond, Steve, the coaching staff, the players,” Hield said when asked about picking up some of the scoring in the wake of Thompson’s departure. “… Just figure out how I can be effective helping everybody score and feeding off all of them.

“I think it’s a fun adjustment. In basketball, you come to a new job, they are all great people and all great guys. I don’t think it will be hard trying to pick up their tendencies. Sometimes it might take some time, but it’s fun.”

Curry is confident he and Hield will figure out their on-court chemistry, which of course won’t compare to what he had with Thompson right off the bat.

“Dude’s a shooter. He’s confident in his game and we need that,” Curry said of Hield. “… I’m not too worried about that, but it’s on the list of all the things we need to figure out as a team to put it all together.”

Hield and Curry certainly won’t be alone in that regard. Podziemski made it an offseason goal to improve his 3-point shooting after conversations with Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy, and Andrew Wiggins aims to become more involved in the offense after falling short of expectations last season.

Don’t count out Gary Payton II or Looney, either, who both said they’ve evolved their game to include more shots from deep – though the latter knows he’s no Thompson.

“I’m still not going to be out there hunting threes. Like I’m not going to be out there like Klay or somebody,” Looney said. “But when the time comes to stretch the floor to be able to make an open shot — practicing getting threes out of rhythm. You know, I’m not just getting catch-and-shoot all the time.

“Learning how to do it off pick-and-pop, doing it off ball reversal, doing it when a guy is not holding you … Just learning how to get in the flow.”

It’s the start of a new chapter for the Warriors – and, for some, a new approach to their own skill set – but the team’s first comments since Thompson’s departure made it clear there’s still plenty of love for the sharpshooter in their building.

That is, until the Mavericks visit Chase Center on Nov. 12.

“Especially, we are going to miss [Thompson] on the court,” Payton said. “We know what he brings. He’s a tough-shot maker, tough-shot taker. You can’t really duplicate that, what he does.

“We’re going to miss him, but excited to kick his ass pretty soon.”

As Thompson makes his fresh start in Dallas, Golden State is ready to do the same.

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